2025 NBA FINALS: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #4 Indiana Pacers (Series tied 2-2)

[Devilanche]

This forum is just a rollercoaster of emotions. Y’all okay?

My feelings are all over the place.

Going take time to recover.

[thelead]

Call it a choke if you want. You can only over come so many bad calls. Yes I'm blaming it on calls. Yeh I'm bitter, might of been our best chance to get this.

Don't tell me the freethrow attempts were close. People saw the game. OKC were in the game because of the calls.

It was a choke.

it can be both. The refs made the game way harder for the Pacers than OKC... AND the Pacers missed A TON of open shots.

[Kawaii Leonard]

17.6% from 3

[littlerock2277]

I have to Give SGA a lot of credit down the stretch he used Indiana physical play to his advantage down the stretch. Have him and Jdub run a 2 man game was smart. Neismith and Mathurin were bad with all those late fouls.

[RandomRaptorfan]

The Pacers choking this one kinda evens out them stealing game 1 but it must hurt seeing OKC still win with an anemic offense

[sodmoraes]

Carlisle is a great coach but today he was bad. He should have put Toppin, who was dominating... TJ would be nice too, since Hali was bad in the 4th. TJ would get some buckets. The team lacked fire..

Sent from my SM-G780G using RealGM mobile app

[Badlands]

It's crazy that in the year 2025 a team won an NBA Finals game with 3 made 3-pointers.

Edit: also only 10 assists

[GeorgeMarcus]

SGA is the worst.

Who wants to watch foul baiting and push-offs? Dude is pathetic.

"Pathetic" lol what the hell

So much SGA salt in this thread... Worst case scenario get mad at the refs if you don't think it's being called fairly. SGA is just a VERY good player (MVP in fact) trying to get his team to win in the Finals. No crimes committed

No, he intentionally hunts BS fouls and he also intentionally pushes off. Sure, the refs shouldn't reward it but that doesn't mean I have to respect SGA's nonsense. I hated that **** from Harden too. Pathetic is the only way to describe it. It's a disgraceful style of play that's disrespectful to the game. Sorry if that opinion offends you, but it's an honest one.

The opinion doesn't offend me so much as it offends the competitive spirit. True competitors will themselves/their teams to victory whatever the cost. There are so many other examples in the game- drawing fouls on the defensive end for instance. Yet people celebrate those instances as smart, gritty, etc. What SGA does is fundamentally the same thing. If you don't enjoy watching it, it's something that should be addressed with the league not the players.

[LoveMyRaps]

On a serious note, Pacers don't have a high level iso scorer to close this game out. Hali been making clutch shots, but he struggles to create quality looks against OKC this series. Siakam isn't that guy either.

Pacers don’t need a high level iso scorer.
That’s not their identity.
Ball movement and getting everyone involved is. That’s what got them here.
That’s what they went away from in the fourth tonight.
Too much hero ball from Haliburton.

[Jazz9]

2-2 with OKC getting homecourt back and yet I don't really feel like OKC are clear favorites
Doesn't look like they really have a firm grasp on the series to me, much less figured out the formula to beat the Pacers

[BigGargamel]

High quality stuff here. Definitely thread worthy, and the first post is just full of thoughtful, unique content. Well done.

[GrandTheftRondo]

Very similar to the 2022 finals.

Celtics stole game 1, blown out in game 2 on the road, win a tough game and lose game 4 after being up late with a chance to go up 3-1 before Curry snatched it.

Wouldn’t be shocked at all now to see OKC win the next two

Think Indiana had the series there tonight and blew it

[EastonEddy]

Inexcusable plays by Mathurin.

Bad coaching by Carlisle. First he had Pascal inexplicably move into a point-forward role in the last two minutes of the 3rd quarter, which disrupted momentum, then he froze out Pascal in the 4th.

Same thing happened in the Boston series last year. Rick put the ball in Nembhard's hands with a green light in crunch time.

Stop this equal opportunity BS. The finals are on the line and this guy was brought here to help you win and he is your leading scorer. If I'm Rick I can live with Pascal missing but cannot live with him not touching the ball.

I just don't get it. Now you have to win another one in OKC.

[Lunartic]

It's not either/or.

The Pacers played poorly down the starch but the refs absolutely took over the game.

SGA had a bad game and was constantly rewarded with freethrows for soft calls that other players didn't get. Every single drive involved him offensively fouling defenders and we're supposed to ignore it.

And to add insult to injury they call a ticky-tack hold foul in the final seconds of the game to ensure no miracle hail Mary comeback.

It's a bad sign when an actual NBA ref is known to the fans as the "extender" and we all dread him reffing if your team is up.

[Optimus_Steel]

This is a good reminder that Mathurin actually isn't very good. He's a streaky scorer that doesn't do much else.

There is reason he comes off the bench and has for a long time.

[RB34]

The Scott Foster game ladies and gentleman.

It was inevitable, just like the Mavs getting the #1 pick.

Seems like confirmation bias. Officiating wasnt great early but leveled out.

38 Fts for Okc compared to 33 for Indiana and there were 4 intentional fouls at end or 2 of the 4 were blatan away from they play calls. Difference is Okc was hitting their Fts. Pacers choked at the line specially Mathurin late

I’m sorry but you can’t sit there and watch the way Dort defends Hali off the ball, constantly grabbing and holding and then see that hold call on Mathurin and tell me that’s fair.

There is a long list of these examples from this game.

[raptor jesus]

Evidently, Nesmith wasn't paying attention to the Nembhard clinic on how to defend SGA without fouling. That series of OKC forcing switches so SGA could cook Nesmith was the game imo

[Coach Carter]

I've been watching sports too long now whereby officials can't fool me. They show their true intentions early.

[MrBigShot]

Not a surprise Caruso has been able to carve out a career as a rotation player on contenders since coming into the league. The guy just helps you win. 20 pts tonight, equalling the pacers leading scorer tonight, and tied for a team high +14.

JDub and SGA with huge performances. Pressure back on indiana.

[tmorgan]

All these things can be true simultaneously:

1) OKC was better at the line and it mattered
2) SGA got some gift-wrapped reffing in the 4th
3) Pacers had big momentum in the 3rd and should have had a bigger lead but went cold
4) OKC played great defense late, Indy shrunk into iso-Hali offense and he didn’t deliver

There were some iffy moments, but overall OKC mostly took it and Indy did give it away, with a little help from the refs on Shoves-Guys Alexander.